The present invention relates to fasteners. More particularly, the present invention relates to fasteners for use with display pages.
Most generally, display pages are used with a book, album, binder or other holder that allows a user to store, organize and preserve scrapbook articles such as photographs, newspaper clippings, decorative papers, certificates, medals and other mementoes and memorabilia.
A scrapbook is a collection of one or more pages (e.g., display pages or scrapbook pages), each of which usually contains at least one photograph, writing, decorative element, memorabilia or the like. Most often, pages in the scrapbook are grouped by a common theme, such as a family vacation, wherein photographs and page embellishments are creatively and aesthetically arranged to preserve memories (reflected in the photographs) and enhance preserving and sharing those memories with other persons. Often, a user making the scrapbook desires to create a family heirloom that will last for generations.
A user (or “scrapbooker”) typically attaches articles to a scrapbook page using a variety of specialized tapes, glues and adhesives. This can be a very time consuming process while waiting for glues and adhesives to dry or cure sufficiently. For example, photographs and decorative papers are often attached with pressure sensitive adhesives or glue sticks. Non-cellulosic embellishment articles such as ribbon, raffia and wire are typically much more difficult to place and challenging to attach, and such methods as hot melt adhesives or vinyl acetate glues are used, although with limited success. Because these methods involve a direct adhesive or glue attachment between the embellishment articles and the scrapbook page, the scrapbooker is often concerned with long-term preservation of the articles due to deterioration caused by the adhesive or glue. It is often undesirable to have any contact (or a substantial risk of contact) between the adhesive or glue and the scrapbook and embellishment articles. Furthermore, it is often desirable to remove a memorabilia item, such as a medal, during sharing of the scrapbook, and then return it to the scrapbook page. The adhesive or glue methods generally do not accomplish this well.
Occasionally, a scrapbooker will utilize items such as brads and nail heads that are affixed to a scrapbook page by methods such as puncturing the scrapbook page and bending or deforming a portion of the fastener (typically deforming a portion of the fastener that protrudes through the scrapbook page), which secures them to the scrapbook page. This method is often undesirable because it requires tearing or perforation of the scrapbook page, which can, in turn, lead to damage of articles stored on the scrapbook page. In addition, this method can leave sharp points exposed, which can damage adjacent scrapbook pages (and the articles stored on those adjacent pages).
Items used to affix scrapbook and embellishment articles can have sharp points, corners and otherwise have non-smooth and non-rounded features. Because a typical scrapbook includes a number of display pages positioned adjacent each other like a book, contact between the non-smooth and non-rounded items and other objects can cause damage to, for example, adjacent display pages and display and embellishment articles affixed thereon.
Another problem faced by a scrapbooker is the time required to assemble, affix, arrange, decorate and organize a display page for a scrapbook. It is undesirable to spend considerable time gluing, knotting, wrapping and performing other attachment operations to secure display and embellishment articles on a display page. Such attachment operations can be undesirably complicated.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved way of securely, conveniently, quickly and creatively attaching items and elements of a scrapbook to the page that does not detract from the aesthetic appearance of the scrapbook article. It is also desired to enhance the ability to easily remove and return items to a scrapbook page. It is still further desired to provide a fastener that contributes to the preservation of items on a scrapbook page and the scrapbook itself.
Thus, the present invention relates to fasteners that provide an alternative means of securing articles on a display page in a scrapbook or in other locations.